


Rusty Sword

by tdoroti



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Love, New York City, One Shot, Reincarnation, Scotland, Swordfighting, Swords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 09:13:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19270225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tdoroti/pseuds/tdoroti
Summary: A journey through time.





	Rusty Sword

Scotland, 2019

It was a beautiful sunny summer day in Scotland, which is a miracle alone. They usually say 'Ah, I remember summer. It was last Tuesday.'. I was spending my last break here before the big finish at the university. I was majoring in Art history, so it was a double win for me with these old buildings and museums full of extraordinary art pieces.

I was staying in a bed and breakfast in a small village just north of Glasgow. On my last day, I wanted to go hiking. The owner recommended a place nearby with lush meadows and woods and very few people to bother me. I was naturally interested, so I grabbed my sketchpad and was on my way.

After a few hours of walking, I sat on a small hill and started drawing the landscape. Suddenly, I saw something sparkle next to a rock on another small hill farther on. I look around, but there was no one in the vicinity of the pile. I stood up and went to look for that shiny thing like a magpie who is after a glossy object. It looked like a piece of metal from the distance. A soon as I reached the top, I could see the object of my curiosity much clearer. It was a rusty old sword partially overgrown by grass. More precisely, a Scottish claymore sword. Huh, I knew that weapons history class would be useful someday. It was huge, made for a man in his prime. They would have to use both hands to wield it properly. It was strange that this exquisite piece of craftsmanship was just lying here. I knew I shouldn't touch it - all my archeologist friends would be cross with me right now-, but something was drawing me in slowly. I cowered next to the sword and carefully held it in my hands. It was really heavy. That was my last thought.

All of a sudden, an electric shock went through me. A flash blocked my mind, and I was transported somewhere else. At least it felt that way. On the other hand, I was standing on the same hill with the same sword in my hand, though something felt off. The difference was a farmhouse with lots of buildings that were clearly visible in the not too far distance.

How was that possible? Nothing had been here, only I. After my initial shock, I started descending slowly with the sword still in my hand. Something was amiss with the farm. It wasn't just an old-fashioned one, stuck in the past that you usually see during your visit to the countryside. A few animals were scattered around the place. When I saw a man running from one of the barns, it dawned on me. His clothes gave it away. I wasn't in the 21st century anymore. This sword that I was holding in my hand transported me a few hundred years back in time. I didn't know precisely when I was but it wasn't important at that moment. I watched the man run to the last building on the row with something in his hand that looked like my sword. He was frantic, took long steps to reach his goal as soon as possible. I found myself quicken my pace as well. Maybe I could help him. After all two swords were better than one. Even the fact that I didn't know how to use one couldn't hold me back. How hard could it be to swing this weapon a few times towards an opponent?

As I was closing in on the man, I saw a young woman against a wall. Three men were holding her in place. It was a standoff. The man with the sword reached them and killed one of the bandits standing on the woman's right. I was almost there, yelling them to stop or I would kill them all. Still, no one looked at me. The fight escalated and the man on the woman's left killed her just as I struck him with my sword.

At that moment, the most astonishing thing happened. The blade went right through him without causing any harm and so did I, for that matter. Why? How? Was I a ghost? How could I be here and not be able to help her? I stood there in a mixture of crying and yelling.

Suddenly I saw a black form watching me behind the wall. I was completely sure that his eyes were on me and not the fight.

"Hey, who are you?" I yelled at him.

But instead of answering, the person took off to the other direction. I ran after him. I needed answers, better yet I needed to get home as soon as possible from this forsaken place. Years of cross-country running paid off. I was gaining on him, getting closer and closer. It was a "him" I could see it now. I jumped at him from behind and wrestled him to the ground. He was bigger than me but I tricked him and pinned him to the ground.

The moment our eyes met, I was overcome by a curious feeling. It was as if I knew him from somewhere, although I was sure, I had never met him before. I suppressed this notion and asked him again.

"Who are you? And how are you able to see me?"

"Hey, easy, easy! I'm Matt. I don't know why we are here. It's not my doing."

After that, I eased up on him, stood up and let him do the same.

"What's your name? You didn't introduce yourself before we ended up on the ground."

"Because you ran," I said accusingly.

"Sorry, old habit. I am just as stunned about this as you are."

"My name is Emma. How long have you been here?"

"Not long. I think we arrived at the same time. Where are we? And do we know each other? You look familiar." Okay, he felt the connection, too. I was not crazy then.

"I don't think so, but you look familiar to. As for the where are part of your question, the answer is in Scotland."

"What? It can't be! I was in New York."

"I know, it's not the weirdest part....we went back in time as well."

He looked shocked.

"What about that fight? Are they dead?" asked Matt.

"I am not sure. One of the bandits and the girl were dead. Maybe the others are dead, too. We should check on them."

As we were walking back I realized the animals could see us. The chickens got out of our ways. It actually made sense. I had read somewhere that animals are more susceptible to spirits than humans.

"Where were you when this happened?" asked Matt.

"Right here. I found this sword..." I realized midsentence that I must have dropped it when I first saw Matt.

"What sword?"

"Oh, no! They are dead, both the woman and his man. Why were we here just to see them die? Why?" I yelled and cried at that point. Matt came closer and hugged me, tried to comfort me. In his arms, I was once more overcome by that funny feeling.

At that precise moment, a man walked up to us. He was tall, had spiky white hair and looked like a young Christopher Walken.

"Ah, it's sad, isn't it. But you are finally here. I had been waiting for you for quite some time." The man told us laughing.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Matt asked him angrily.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot about the memory thing. You will understand everything in a minute."

"What memory thing? Who are you and what did you do with us?" I asked him forcefully as well.

"So, this time you are Emma," He motioned to me. " And you are Matt, right?"

"This time?"

"Do you see those two? This is where it all started for you. All the bad things, all the heartaches. At this moment, 300 years in the past from your actual timeline. They were very much in love but their parents were against a wedding. They felt hopeless, so they decided to elope. Tomorrow should have been their wedding day." elaborated the man.

"Why are you telling us this? Are we related, or what?" I asked the stranger.

"Because they are you, or should I say you are them. Emma, you are her fourth reincarnation, and Matt you are his. Your spirits can't rest peacefully. You always find each other and end up similarly. Actually, we have met here three times already. I try to help you find peace every time. I am always hopeful that this will be the last, you finally give me the right answer to my question."

So the feeling was real I felt for Matt. We had met before, only in our previous lives. I could actually see myself falling in love with him. All of a sudden, I heard a snap and all the memory of us flood me. All I could do was stand there and be lost in Matt's eyes. I could see he felt the same way. A slight cough broke us apart.

"Now you understand everything," told us the man when we looked at him.

"What is your question?" I asked.

"What would you have done differently?"

"When?" asked Matt.

"This time, in the past. What would you have changed? So that you can live and not die prematurely every time."

"I wouldn't have chosen to stay here for the night. I should have known that this farmhouse was trouble."

"No," I added. "we should have married right away at that little church down the road."

"Neither one of those answers is the right one, unfortunately."

"What is the correct one, then?" We both asked at the same time.

"One day you will both know it. So long, until next time." He gestured with his hand.

"There won't be a next time," I told him firmly.

"Oh, you always say that." He waved his hand tiredly. "Why are you so sure?"

"Because you showed us everything today. It's not how you usually do it."

He smiled knowingly.

"You are right. Let's just say that a certain someone up there is eager to see the end of this."

Then a snap could be heard again, and everything went black.

 

 

New York, 2019

What a strange dream I had last night. I shouldn't have eaten that last slice of pizza. I knew it. I always had unusual dreams after a late meal. A strong coffee before the first class was going to help. The queue was extra slow this morning at this coffee shop. I had been here just a few times with my friends, but I like it. It was close to the campus, had a nice atmosphere.

Finally, it was my turn. I stood closer to the counter and looked into the most beautiful pair of eyes that I had ever seen. At that moment I was sure it wasn't a dream.


End file.
